Faculty Profile: Al Werner
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Al
Werner
Professor of Geology
Office: Room 321 Clapp Laboratory
Email: Al
Werner
Phone: 413.538.2134
Fax: 413.538.2239
Education
Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder, Geology, 1988
M. S. Southern Illinois University, Geology, 1982
B. S. Grand Valley State University, Geology, 1979
Personal Statement
Growing up along the shore of Lake Michigan, I spent a lot of time outdoors
and I always enjoyed learning about nature. I was not a particularly
strong student in high school and never really had serious thoughts
about going to college. Indeed, I went to college, in part, because
my friends were giving it a try (and it sounded better than working
two undesirable jobs). As fate would have it, during my first semester,
I found myself in a beginning geology class and I soon realized
that I was pretty good at understanding geologic concepts and what's
more I loved it! For me geology explained so much about the natural
world that I had observed but not understood. Learning that Lake Michigan was
gouged out by a 2 mile high ice sheet, that there are (understandable)
reasons why mountains, volcanoes and faults occur where they do,
and that in the scope of geologic time, mountains can form (and
be worn-down) rivers can erode canyons and life has plenty of time
to change, only solidified my interests. As I got more involved
in geology I found myself drawn to all the math and cognate science
courses that I had previously avoided and dreaded. Quite simply,
I wanted to learn those thing because they would make me a better
geologist. Years passed, I earned a masters degree, worked in the
oil industry for a few years and then returned to school for my
Ph.D. I've been at Mount Holyoke College since 1988 and can honestly
say that there is nothing else that I would rather be doing with
my life. I still consider myself a student of geology, granted I
know a little more than I did as an undergraduate, but the thrills
of questioning and figuring things out remain as exciting. As an
undergraduate I remember fondly understanding things for the first
time and making the mental connections associated with figuring
things out. Every time a current student says "ohhhh, I get
it" or "that's soooo cool," I am taken back to my
early experiences and discoveries. Mount Holyoke is a great place,
located in a wonderful part of the country for geology, and I feel
fortunate to be a professor here!
Teaching
The more I teach the more I realize that people learn best by doing.
My courses include numerous field trips, field work, class projects
and lab investigations. All my courses deal with the geology of
the Earth's surface and the relatively recent geologic past. In
Environmental geology we study how humans are affected by various geological processes (e.g. earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, coastal erosion, river flooding) and how human
activity is now impacting the environment (e.g. ground water contamination,
acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion). In my 200-level course
we study geologic processes operating at the surface of the earth
- how rivers work, features of glaciers, processes in arid lands,
and cave formation (to name a few). I also teach a course dealing
with ground water geology and a seminar course dealing with climate
change through Earth history. The Connecticut Valley has a very
rich assortment of geology; caves are two hours away in New York
State, the coast is about two hours away and New Hampshire and Vermont
are less than an hour away. Few locations offer such a diverse assortment
of geologic environments and features.
Research
Research is an important part of the educational experience. Not only
is it rewarding to learn about things  but
it is also a great feeling to understand things that were not previously
understood. For me, research is a "whodunnit" investigation
- you typically have some information, you collect bits and pieces of
additional information and you use your insights and wits to figure things
out. Ever since I learned that Michigan (and indeed much of North America)
was covered by glacial ice, I couldn't stop asking, "how do they
know that," "what is the evidence for this," "how
could this happen," and "what changed to allow this profound
event to transpire?" My interest in the Ice Ages has not waned, in
fact it has intensified, and I've had the good fortune of working in some
truly spectacular places, including the Norwegian Arctic, the Canadian
Arctic, Alaska and locally in New England. My dissertation work (on Spitsbergen,
Norway) was aimed at providing a better understanding of climate change
during the last 10,000 years. Since then I worked for two summers (with
students) on Baffin Island and then four summers in Alaska attempting
to shed more light on the details of the last glaciation. My primary research
involves taking sediment cores from lakes in Arctic areas and analyzing
them to interpret records of environmental change. My work has been supported
by a number of research grants and has involved numerous students, both
in the field and in the lab. I had the opportunity to conduct field work
in Alaska as an undergraduate and it changed my life. My goal is to offer
similar opportunities to students at Mount Holyoke. |
